More protests over Zimmerman verdict

SEATTLE — In Seattle the protests started this morning in church and later spread to the streets of downtown.

Crowds were bigger Sunday but there were few problems and no real violence.

These protests are a way for people to vent their frustration about the not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman.

But a lot of people are also hurting because they feel this case is yet another setback for our justice system.

In churches all over the country Sunday Including here at Seattle’s Mount Zion Baptist Church, sermons were peppered with emotion about the George Zimmerman verdict.

“But I want to look at this issue from God’s perspective, because personally I’m struggling with this. Personally, I could not sleep last night after I heard the verdict,” Mount Zion Baptist Church Pastor Aaron Williams said.

On the street in cities large and small protests are being held.

Here in Seattle a rally at Westlake Park was followed by a march through downtown.

A lot of people are upset, but so far protests have been mostly peaceful.

“The verdict is wrong. The system is wrong,” protester Michael Brooks said.

For many this case was less about justice and more about race.

“I’m not surprised. I’m disappointed. We have not reached the point where the playing field is level. We’ve not reached the point where we live in a nonracial, racist society. We still do. Things may not be quite as obvious but it can’t be more obvious than this was,” Mount Zion Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus Samuel B. McKinney said.

“Yes, of course this was a case about race and it’s going to resonate for a long time,” legal analyst Anne Bremner said.

Legal analyst Anne Bremner followed the trial from start to finish.

While she believes race was a factor, she also believes the jury acquitted because no one can say for certain what really happened in the seconds before George Zimmerman pulled the trigger.

“The jury came down to that moment saying we don’t know what happens. We don’t know exactly what happened and if we don’t know exactly what happened in that moment in time and the government can’t seem to tell us… then we have to acquit,” Bremner said.

“They said Zimmerman was innocent, that he didn’t do anything wrong, which is a travesty of justice,” McKinney said.

Bremner says she doubts a federal civil rights charge would stick, she believes the Department Of Justice would have a better chance with some kind of federal hate crime charge, but she says now that Zimmerman has been found not guilty that could be a longshot as well.

2 comments

Bootlegger59

Yeah, OJ was tough to take too. He was and IS, guilty as Hell!!! SO, good old Zimmerman just added payback for Odd Job!!! I prayed Zimmerman would be proved innocent……….and by golly, the guy made it………….GOOD for Him, and good for the jury that found him innocent.

guest

Again, the ignorant protest as if they had all the facts. Racism, (or at least the claim of it) will NEVER go away until the black community stops raising their children with a built in victim mentality.